


Knowing More Than She Lets On

by Guineapigs1



Series: Clueless Lovers Forever [3]
Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Kyoko/Ren Week, Kyoko/Ren Week 2020, One Shot, Suspicious Kanae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:48:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25159510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guineapigs1/pseuds/Guineapigs1
Summary: One year ago, Tsuruga Ren retired from showbusiness, vanishing without a trace left behind. No one could guess why he left or where he was. Kanae was just confused why Kyoko didn't seem to be upset at all.
Relationships: Mogami Kyoko/Tsuruga Ren
Series: Clueless Lovers Forever [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1818343
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	Knowing More Than She Lets On

**Author's Note:**

> Today's prompt was Hide. I wanted to write something from Kanae's perspective, although this story is still primarily RenKyo. Like yesterday, this chapter contains spoilers up to Chapter 283. I hope you enjoy!

"Moko-san!"

Kanae looked up from her phone just in time. She quickly turned away from the chestnut-haired blur about to crash into her, narrowly avoiding the crushing hug.

"Moko-san…" Kyoko pouted.

"Mo! I told you not to do that."

"But I haven't seen you in so long!"

Kanae's eyes softened. Kyoko was right. It had been almost a year since Kanae had left Japan to shoot her series in America. Although Kanae had texted and occasionally called Kyoko, she hadn't been there for her best friend when…

"Let's go get ice cream, Moko-san!" Kyoko exclaimed, grabbing her arm and eagerly dragging her down the street. Kanae planted her feet in the ground, stopping Kyoko from dragging her further.

"We can get ice cream later. First, how about we go for some karaoke?"

"Okay!"

…

Kyoko eagerly flipped through the song catalog in the karaoke room as Kanae sipped a cup of water. Deciding that there was no easy way to approach the topic, Kanae set down her glass and leaned forward, her elbows on her knees.

"Tsuruga-san is still missing, isn't he?"

Kanae caught Kyoko's flinch in response to the question and knew that the subsequent broad smile on her friend's face was only a cover-up for her true feelings.

"Wow, I can't believe you're also still asking about this. He left a year ago, but it seems that the media still talks about him almost every week."

"Kyoko, I'm sorry."

"What? Why would you be sorry?"

"I had to leave for America right after he disappeared. I wasn't there for you when you needed me to be."

Kanae watched as Kyoko fiddled with her necklace, still smiling. "Moko-san, I already told you that I'm fine."

"How could you be fine? He left without telling you anything! As someone who loved him, you must have been hurt by his disappearance."

"I'm sure Tsuruga-san is doing all right wherever he is right now. He didn't have to tell me anything. I was only ever his kohai." Kyoko twirled her necklace.

"That's not true. You were important to him. He should have told you something before he left, or he's a bastard."

"Moko-san! Don't say that!"

"Mo! Why are you defending him? He left you heartbroken, and no one can even contact him now!"

"I'm not heartbroken, Moko-san. You don't have to worry about me," Kyoko placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile. Either Kyoko was a really good actress, or her smile was real.

"Then tell me the truth. He truly didn't tell you anything before he left?"

"He said…he said that he was going to reach his goals and that I might not see him for a while. I wished him good luck, and the next day he was gone."

"Bastard…"

"Moko-saaann…"

"Fine. I'll stop asking about him. Did you already pick which song you want to sing?"

"Yes!" Kyoko smiled, punching in the corresponding number onto the karaoke machine. As she stood up to go to the microphone, Kanae couldn't help but feel that Kyoko was hiding something behind that smile.

…

A week after their meet-up, Kanae found Kyoko sitting on a couch in the Love Me room, scrolling through her phone as the television in the room broadcast some gossip about Tsuruga Ren's possible whereabouts.

"An anonymous source said that they possibly spotted Tsuruga Ren at a convenience store holding the hand of a young boy. This begs the question: did Tsuruga Ren leave showbusiness to avoid a scandal involving a son?" The news anchor said dramatically. Kanae heard Kyoko's snort of laughter from across the room and her murmur about how Tsuruga-san would never do such a thing. When Kanae crept closer, she found Kyoko to be smiling at something on her phone.

"Mo, who are you talking to?" Kanae wondered, looking at Kyoko's screen to see her messaging someone named Corn. There was a heart after his name. Kyoko suddenly threw her phone into the air, and it landed on the couch with a soft thud.

"Moko-san! You scared me!"

"Who's Corn?"

"Ah, um…he's…my friend."

"Why is there a heart after his name?"

"B-Because he's my friend!"

"Is there a heart after my name in your phone?"

"Y-Yes!" Kyoko chirped. Kanae felt like she was lying.

"Wait. Don't tell me the reason why you aren't heartbroken over Tsuruga-san's disappearance is because you fell in love with someone else?"

"N-No! Of course not! He…He's only a friend!"

"Where did you meet him?"

"We…we met when we were children. I used to run to a stream near the Fuwa ryokan to cry, and I met him there. He cheered me up, and we became really good friends."

"Why have I never seen this guy?"

"He lives in America."

"Then how did you get his number?"

"For a Love Me mission, I went to Guam and somehow met him there. We…we stayed in contact afterwards."

"Huh. If he ever comes to Japan, I hope to meet him."

"I don't think he'll come back to Japan anytime soon, but I would be happy to introduce you if he ever does," Kyoko smiled, fiddling with that necklace once again.

…

Almost two weeks after her last encounter with Kyoko, Kanae found her once again in the Love Me room, speaking with whispers to someone on the phone.

"I'm at work right now. I told you not to call me until later. What if someone hears us talking? The past year would all be for nothing."

A pause, and then Kyoko frowned.

"You wanting to hear my voice is not an excuse. You could have just called me later."

Kanae thought she heard a familiar chuckle coming from Kyoko's phone.

"Fine. Since we're already talking, tell me how the project is coming along."

There was a long pause as whoever Kyoko was speaking to responded to her question. Kanae watched Kyoko's features soften into a smile.

"I'm glad to hear that your costars are more respectful now compared to in your childhood. I told you that they would be once they saw your talent," Kyoko grinned.

"What time is it there? It must be around dinner time, right? What did you have to eat?" Kyoko asked. After hearing the person's response, Kyoko's face suddenly soured.

"You know that's not healthy for you! I told you to eat three meals a day! Am I going to have to force you to send me videos of you eating again?"

She listened to the person on the other end before suddenly blushing.

"I miss you too. We can talk later tonight, or tomorrow morning for you."

Another pause.

"Mm. Bye, Corn," Kyoko said, pressing the end call button. Kanae silently shut the door, knowing that she shouldn't have heard that conversation.

…

Kyoko was ecstatic when Kanae suggested a sleepover for their next day off together. As Kyoko changed into her pajamas, she made sure to take care that her necklace never left her neck.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Kanae asked.

"Sure!"

Kanae began to scroll through the catalog of her streaming service before hearing Kyoko's phone buzz. It was on the ground next to her, and Kanae automatically picked it up.

"You got a message from…" Kanae began to read the name and resulting message before Kyoko darted across the room and snatched the phone from her hands. But there was no mistaking what Kanae had read.

_[I need to see you again. I love you, Kyoko.]_

"Kyoko…who is this Corn guy?"

"I…I already told you, Moko-san! He's just a really good friend!"

"You have five seconds to tell me the truth, or I'm ending our friendship right here."

"Moko-san!"

"Five."

"I already told you-"

"Four."

"-he's just a friend!"

"Three."

"Moko-saaaannn…"

"Two."

"Fine! I'll tell you!" Kyoko exclaimed. Kanae folded her arms, waiting for an answer.

"We really are just friends right now," Kyoko said, fiddling with her necklace.

"I'm ending our friendship-"

"No, no, no! Let me finish! Although we're only friends right now, we found out…that we both have feelings for one another. But we both agreed that we wanted to reach our goals first before starting…a relationship."

"He lives in America, right? What does he do for a living?"

"He's an actor…"

"An actor? What's his stage name?"

"H-Hizuri Kuon…"

Kanae's eyes widened in shock. "Isn't that Hizuri Kuu's son? I thought that he suddenly disappeared a few years ago."

"He did…but he recently came back to showbusiness about a year ago."

"Why have I never heard you talk about him until now?"

"I guess I just never thought to mention him…"

"Then what about Tsuruga-san?"

"Why would you bring up Tsuruga-san?"

"I thought you liked Tsuruga-san. When did you start liking this Hizuri Kuon?"

"Moko-saaannnn. Can we please talk about something else? This is embarassing," Kyoko covered her face with her hands to hide a blush.

"Fine. What movie do you want to watch?" Kanae asked, scrolling through the options for Kyoko to see.

"Oh! Let's watch Mars Cluster!" Kyoko pointed.

"Mars Cluster? Tsuruga-san's debut movie?"

"Hey, I heard it's really good!"

"And that's the only reason you want to watch it?"

"O-Of course…"

"Sure…"

…

Kanae and Kyoko were minding their own business in the Love Me room a few days after their sleepover when a tall blonde man suddenly barged into the room. He was wearing a mask and sunglasses that covered his face.

"Mo! Who are you? Only Love Me members are allowed in here!" Kanae exclaimed. The man didn't respond, only staring at the girl next to Kanae. When Kanae turned to see Kyoko's reaction to the sudden intrusion, Kyoko was frozen in shock.

"Corn?!" Kyoko exclaimed.

"You're still wearing the necklace," The blonde man said as he looked at the necklace on Kyoko's neck. Kyoko's cheeks immediately reddened.

"I told you not to come," Kyoko frowned, crossing her arms.

"I needed to see you."

"But you haven't reached your goal yet."

"I can't take it anymore being an ocean away from you. I know I said I didn't want to change our relationship yet, but this past year without seeing you in person has been unbearable. I love you, Kyoko."

Kyoko was turned into a blushing mess.

"What the hell is going on?" Kanae guffawed. The blonde man and Kyoko suddenly turned to her, almost as if they had forgotten she was there.

"Um, Moko-san, remember when I told you about Corn?"

"You mean Hizuri Kuu's son, Hizuri Kuon? This is him?" Kanae looked the blonde man up and down, feeling as if she had met him before. Even his voice was familiar…

"Mogami-san, can we talk in private?" The blonde man grabbed Kyoko's hand. The way he said her name was exactly like that other guy…

"Oh my god. It all makes sense now." Kanae pointed at the blonde man, who looked at her with confusion.

"This whole time, I thought it was weird that you weren't more concerned over Tsuruga-san's disappearance, but of course you weren't since you knew where he had gone the whole time!"

Kyoko's face paled. "N-No, I don't know what happened to Tsuruga-san. This is just Corn-"

"Whoever you are, you have five seconds to take off your sunglasses and mask or I'm calling security, and you can explain to them who you are."

"Moko-san!"

"Five."

The blonde man immediately took off his disguise without Kanae needing to count down anymore. It was weird to see Tsuruga Ren with blonde hair and green eyes, but there was no mistaking his identity when Kanae saw him in the flesh.

"Please. I just want to speak to Mogami-san for thirty minutes."

"Then you're going to tell me the truth about whatever this is when I get back," Kanae ordered, standing her ground.

"No, Moko-san, you don't understand-"

"Fine. It'll be on the news anyways in a few hours," Ren interrupted Kyoko.

"What?" Kyoko's eyes widened.

"Then I'll make sure no one disturbs you two for the next thirty minutes." Kanae left them in the Love Me room alone. After she shut the door behind her, she turned around and came face-to-face with Ren's manager who had been just about to knock on the door of the Love Me room.

"Is Kyoko-chan-"

"She's busy talking with…him."

"Ah. I thought that I recognized that blonde hair hurrying through the LME lobby towards the Love Me room."

"I'm assuming you knew about this whole thing?"

"Well, of course. I'm his manager," Yashiro smiled wryly.

"You sure put on a good act for the media then when you acted clueless about where he disappeared to."

"Thank you. Takarada-san hired coaches to make sure that my act would be believable."

"I don't understand why he did all of this."

"Let's wait for them to finish talking, and I'm sure that Kuon would be happy to tell you the truth."

…

Thirty minutes later, Kyoko and…Ren? Corn? Kuon? Kanae didn't care what his name was as she saw their interlocked hands and Kyoko's heavy blush. Not only that, but there was a shiny blue stone sitting on Kyoko's ring finger. Kanae's jaw dropped as Yashiro barely held back a squeal.

"We're engaged now," Ren announced.

"Mo, what the f-"

"Come, I'll tell you everything, but not in a public hallway," Kyoko looked from side to side warily. Kanae nodded, and the four went back into the Love Me room together, locking the door behind them.

...

The next day, Tsuruga Ren returned to Japan from his one-year disappearance and revealed his true identity as Hizuri Kuon. However, even though his identity was no longer hidden, his apparent engagement with Kyoko was still a secret. But at least Kanae was in on the secret this time.


End file.
